The Lawrence Journal-World’s 2022 All-Area Boys Cross Country Team
The following athletes and head coach were selected for the Lawrence Journal-World’s All-Area Boys Cross Country team for the 2022 season.
Players were nominated by their coaches and the team was selected by the Journal-World sports staff.
• Runner of the Year: Eli Gilmore, Tonganoxie High
He’ll go down as the fastest cross country runner in THS history, with a 2022 PR at Rim Rock Farm of 15:49, the best in Tonganoxie history. On top of that, Gilmore racked up five first-place finishes, a Frontier League title for the third year in a row, a Class 4A regional title for the second year in a row and a 4A state title in his final meet of the season. Gilmore was a force for the Chieftains throughout his career and delivering his best season in his final season was the perfect ending to a stellar career.
• Coach of the Year: Mike Spielman, Baldwin High
One of the top coaches in the area and the state for the past couple of decades, Spielman coached his runners to yet another solid season in 2022. The strength of this year’s BHS boys team, which finished 5th at the Class 4A state meet was in its depth. The Bulldogs had just one runner finish in the Top 15 at state but put five runners in the Top 47 to crack the top five in the team standings. On top of that, Spielman led the BHS girls to a second-place finish at state, with four BHS girls finishing in the Top 30.
• Zach Arnold, Eudora High
Arnold was Eudora’s top runner throughout the 2022 season. He finished in the top 10 in eight of his nine races and in the top three four times. The EHS junior finished the season with a top time of 16:22 and he took second at the Class 4A state meet (behind Gilmore) with a time of 16:31.61. On top of that, he finished third at the Frontier League meet and earned first team all-league honors. He was also the regional runner-up and led the Cardinals to their fourth consecutive trip to state as a team.
• Alex Clobes, Eudora High
Clobes, a junior, was one of Eudora’s most consistent runners all season. He finished in the top 10 in three of nine races this season, including an 8th-place finish at the Frontier League meet, which earned second team all-league honors. At the league meet, he ran his personal best time of 17:43. At the 4A regional meet he finished 10th and also finished 50th at the 4A state meet.
• Caleb Carr, Baldwin High
A two-sport standout and also the Journal-World’s All-Area Boys Soccer Player of the Year for 2022, Carr was the top BHS finisher at the Class 4A state meet, where he took 13th with a personal-best time of 17:09. He also took fourth at re-gionals while splitting his practice time between area cross country courses and the soccer pitch.
• Dawson Moseley, Perry-Lecompton High
One of the captains for the PLSH boys cross country team, Moseley was a first team all-Big 7 League honoree, with his top finishes coming at Jeff West, Holton, McClouth, PLHS and Pleasant Ridge.
• Blake Wohler, Free State
This Free State junior was red hot down the stretch, finishing first at the Class 6A regional meet after taking 12th at the Sun-flower League meet. He capped his season with a 27th-place finish at state with a new personal best of 16:16.30.
• Jacob Loos, Free State
Loos was the Firebirds’ top runner throughout the early part of the season but missed the final portion because of an illness. Prior to shutting it down for the season, the junior placed first at the Haskell meet and 13th at the always-tough Rim Rock Classic. His win at Haskell came after a personal best run of 16:06.20.
• Xavier Klish, Lawrence High
The LHS sophomore was the consistent leader for the Lions all season. He finished the year with a personal best time of 17:02.3 and took third at regionals to qualify for the state meet, where he finished 50th in 17:08.95. Klish is an up-and-comer in the sport and his coaches believe he will be a key part of fu-ture success for the LHS boys cross country team.
• Edward Roman Nose, Lawrence High
The freshman runner was consistently the Lions’ second best finisher throughout his first season of high school competition. He finished neck and neck with Klish in many races and took 10th at regionals to earn a spot at the state meet. While there, he ran the third fastest time of all freshmen in Class 6A, taking 48th place in 17:06.6
• Noah Luke, Veritas Christian
In his first season with the Veritas cross country program, Luke was the team’s top runner on a consistent basis. He made the medal stand in every race he ran in this year and his season best time of 17:49.84 — also a personal best — set a school record. Luke took ninth in his final race for Veritas at the KASC championship meet.
• Hayden Slough, Bishop Seabury Academy
Slough’s junior season at BSA featured a new personal record of 20:54.7 and four top-50 finishes. His best came at the Matt Gannon Invitational at Barstow High School, where he finished in 17th place. He also took 27th at the Kaw Valley Conference championships and 62nd place at the Class 1A regional cham-pionships to cap off his season.
Honorable Mention: Jonas Staples, Eudora; David Hays, Perry-Lecompton; Jonah Frye, Free State; Gavin Oberzan, Veritas; Roman Ardery, Bishop Seabury; Francis Alexander, Lawrence High; Jett Gilmore, Tonganoxie; Solomon Carter, Tonganoxie; AJ Messick, Baldwin; Talan Torrez, Baldwin.